Last year Cobra released the Trailblazer series of GMRS radios. Gratefully, they continued to use the same privacy codes as they have previously used. That means the mappings between brands of radios that I describe in my FRS/GMRS Privacy Codes Demystified deep dive work great with the Cobra Trailblazer 250, 450, and 500.

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Continuing the momentum from last year, Steve and Tina Stroh are planning the second annual Zero Retries Digital Conference on October 16, 2026 in San Ramon, CA. ZRDC will be held in the same city, and on the same day as the first day of Pacificon 2026. You can attend two great conferences in a single trip.

Tina is putting together the speakers and presentations, I can't wait what she comes up with.

Save the date, registration will be open soon, and they expect tickets to go quickly.

There are many digital modes in amater radio. The ones popular on handheld VHF/UHF radios include:

• D-Star
• DMR
• System Fusion
• NXDN
• P25

To use these modes you typically need two things:

• a handheld radio that supports the mode you want to use
• a nearby repeater or reflector that supports the mode you want to use

There are many options for handheld radios. These repeaters are usually connected to the internet which enables communications with others around the world using that same mode. If there isn't a repeater in your area that offers the digital mode you want to use, you are out of luck. Unless you have a hotspot.

A hotspot is a pocket sized low power repeater that connects to the internet and can communicate with your handheld using various digital modes. You can buy commercial devices, or build your own with a Raspberry Pi, radio boards, and open source software.

The Hamspot 5 by Collin K0NNK is a new option which gives you the flexibility and upgradability of your own Raspberry Pi based solution, without you having to do all the tinkering to get something that works.

This looks like a great device, with full duplex operation and a nice looking case. Runs from USB-C power, and connects to the internet via Ethernet or Wi-Fi.